A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1500-1599
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
Maryland, Marie land. (Origin and meaning obscure. Occurring only in the passages cited in the phrase golk (= cuckoo) of maryland, of ? fanciful or ? folklore origin. It has been conjectured that the first element is Mare n.1, as if for ‘nightmare-land’ or something of the kind, which is no doubt not impossible.) — ? a1568 Dunb. Bannatyne MS 104 a/51.
Quod scho [in accepting her wooer]: … Wylcum my golk of maryland [M. marie land] 15.. King Berdok 14.
He wowit the golk sevin ȝeir of maryland 15.. Ib. 20.
He fure our se and land To reveis Mayok the golk of maryland
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Maryland n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/maryland>
